Afghanistan records over 80 deaths, 330 injuries from explosive ordnance in a year

Afghanistan recorded 193 explosive ordnance incidents over the past year, resulting in 87 deaths and 333 injuries, according to the National Disaster Preparedness Authority (NDPA).

Mohammad Yousuf Hamad, head of information and public relations at the NDPA, said children made up the majority of victims, accounting for 67.5 percent of total casualties.

He noted that mine clearance teams cleared 58 kilometres of contaminated land and neutralised 24,720 mines during the same period.

Hamad added that 155 mine clearance teams are currently operating nationwide, while more than two million people have been reached through explosive hazard awareness programmes.

Despite these efforts, an estimated 106,000 kilometres of land across Afghanistan remain contaminated.

The update follows a warning from the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), which said Afghanistan ranks third globally for casualties caused by explosive ordnance.

UNAMA reported that children account for around 80 percent of victims, many injured or killed while playing near unexploded devices.

UNAMA has called for increased funding for non-governmental organisations involved in mine clearance, stressing that sustained support is critical to protecting vulnerable communities and saving lives.

give me english hashtags with comma in between the words